The operation of circular knitting machines, particularly the yarn feeding, yarn guiding and knitting components thereof, generates considerable dust, lint or fiber waste and other waste. The generation of such waste is particularly acute when cotton yarns are being knitted. Further, knitting machines are now being operated at ever increasing speeds which exacerbate the waste generation problem.
Unless removed, such dust or other waste will collect on the various machine components and on the yarns and knitted fabric. Invariably, such waste will adversely affect machine operation and knit fabric quality.
Previously proposed dust and other waste removal systems, such as fans or air blowers above the knitting machines and exhaust ducts into which operators direct collected waste, have been unsuccessful in solving the waste problem in knitting machines. The dust removal and collection systems disclosed in the commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,177,985 and the above-identified co-pending applications have proven to improve greatly the dust removal as well as the collection thereof on circular knitting machines of the single knit type having needles only in the cylinder of the knitting machine.
Double knitting machines have needles in the cylinder and needles in a dial cooperating with the cylinder needles in producing a double knit fabric. Such double knitting machines have particular dust and waste generation problems that are distinct from other circular knitting machines.